Chapter Sixteen:
March Of Darkness
Shadowbrook:
Inside the secret tunnel that led between the olde woods and the church crypt, the Shadow Witch – in the body of Solomon – spied the side tunnel that Karl had used to follow the trail taken by Harlow Morgan and Lucy. Emerging from Solomon to scout out where the side tunnel led, the ethereal shade of Elaine Bartlett returned minutes later to her dutifully-waiting minions. There was a grim smile etched on her proud, attractive face.
"This tunnel emerges into a backyard within the town. Eight of you…," she swept her pointed finger at several of the Feral Kin. "…take this route, and enjoy the thrill of the hunt! If you encounter the town elders, who you will know from your human memories, concentrate your pursuit upon them! Now, go!" the Shadow Witch commanded them. "I will watch over you, in spirit, for a while. As for the other five of you, wait here for my return!"
Bowing their heads in submission to her orders, the chosen eight Feral Kin departed along the side tunnel, along with their mistress, as her floating, fluttering spectral image turned into a wisp of vapor and accompanied them.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
The first strike pack of the Feral Kin surfaced in the yard behind Harlow Morgan's rented workshop. Splitting up again, four of them headed north through a narrow alley – whilst the other four bounded out into the nearby street – startling the civilian guard patrol organized by the Scarlet Shadow and Katarina. Amidst the howls, screams, flashes of swiped claws, spilled blood, and swung blades, Katarina's pistol fired – taking down one of the beasts that had charged towards her. In the confusion, she saw one of the creatures flee as it sprinted on all fours towards the Magistrate's office…
With the fight soon over, Katarina briefly assessed the damage around her. Her comrade, Darcius was kneeling before one of the three humans who had fallen. The three remaining Feral Kin were all dead – either shot, or run through by blades or pitchforks.
She grinned. They had defended their established territory from the enemy.
"Darcius?" She hurried over to him. "Are you injured…?"
"No – but this man is dead. My fault…," he choked on a sob.
Katarina saw that it was the butcher of the town. A gunshot had shattered his skull. The Scarlet Shadow's hand shook as he reached out and closed the man's accusing, staring eyes.
"What…happened?" she asked, squeezing her lover's shoulder.
"The Feral Kin I was aiming at… It dodged… My bullet struck the butcher instead! I have committed a grave sin! I have dishonored myself…"
"Darcius! It was an accident," she told him – but the Scarlet Shadow bowed his head in shame. Then suddenly, he gave a sharp yell as something glowed on his neck, before Katarina's wide eyes. They both heard a mocking female laugh on the air. Katarina was quick enough to glimpse the wisp of magical vapor that swiftly floated away along the alley from where the Feral Kin had attacked.
The Scarlet Shadow stopped his lover from keeping chase. "No, Katarina! It was her, wasn't it? That witch! What did she do to me?"
"Um… There's a mark on your neck, Darcius. It is like a burn."
He gingerly touched it – but flinched at the pain. "Strange… It only hurts now if I touch it. But… No… She has branded me with the Devil's Mark!" he moaned. "I killed that innocent man – and her nearby spirit has exploited me over my guilt! Damn her!"
Despite trying to reassure him, the Scarlet Shadow batted Katarina's hand away, as he knelt on the ground next to the dead butcher, feeling tears come to his eyes.
Quickly getting two of the citizens to watch over him – Katarina reloaded her pistols and ran towards the Magistrate's office, anxious about the danger of the town elders being marked for death…
She knew the building all too well from unwanted experience, and soon found it around the corner from the scene of the ambush. Seeing that the door was open, Katarina snarled and sprinted onward towards it. Then, she skidded to a halt as a howl rang out. A blazing shape burst out of the doorway and collapsed upon the walkway outside. It rolled over in an attempt to extinguish the flames, but failed. Instead, the Feral Kin gave a last whine of agony, and then fell still and silent.
An instant later, Magistrate Tiberius Kroft – without his wig - appeared at the doorway, a burning torch in one hand. He was panting, but he regarded his defeated opponent with a nod of satisfaction. Then he saw Katarina close by, lowering her pistol.
"Magistrate Kroft… Are you injured?" Katarina asked him.
"I am unharmed, Miss Clark," the plump man answered. He gathered his breath, and considered his next words. "You were coming to my rescue… Despite the hatred you must feel for me, after my many attempts to bring you and Redfern to justice… I am touched. But worry not. I was prepared for trouble!"
A screech in the air above their heads startled Katarina. She and Kroft looked up, to spy the Grotesques flying in from the north…
"They're back! How many are there…?" Katarina breathed.
"Too many to count right now, Miss Clark!" Kroft's nostrils flared. "Our enemies are playing their hands – and we need to prove our worth against them. Lord Hanbrook will be on the hunt for those Grotesques – and I must prove my inner strength against the march of darkness pressing against us from all around! We must work together, Miss Clark, for the good of us all."
Her lips flickering into a smile despite the situation, Katarina nodded her gratitude. "You'd better come back to the civilian guard with me, then, your honor," she declared. "We'd be glad of your assistance!"
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
The vapor that was the Shadow Witch sped back along the underground side tunnel. Re-entering the body of Solomon via his open mouth, Elaine Bartlett then led the five Feral Kin who had waited for her along the main dark corridor, as they continued on towards the church.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
At the northern edge of Shadowbrook, Inspector Cooke and Ben Summersby worked in co-coordinated fashion as they sprinted from cover to cover, using the doorways of the surrounding houses as their stopping points to shoot their pistols at the Grotesques as they wheeled across the sky, just above the rooftops, eager to make diving attacks upon anyone that presented themselves as an easy target. Just recently, many of the women of the town had instinctively taken flight towards the perceived safety of the church, taking their children with them. Seeing this, Lord Hanbrook had gathered some of the militia and got them to guard the townsfolk as they ran along the edges of the Town Hall square. The mothers and aunts kept close to the buildings, whilst trying to prevent their crying youngsters from running off at the sight and sound of the screeching Grotesques. Cooke glimpsed Isabella von Took and her handmaiden, Heidi, urging them to keep an orderly line next to the cover of the buildings.
At his lordship's orders, the militia had been busy in another way. They had just set a gathered haystack ablaze – with buckets of water at the ready, to be used to prevent the fire from spreading to the wooden buildings on either side of the street in question. Cooke could now see that the fire, and the smoke, was holding back the present pair of Grotesques from the Town Hall square - and from the rush of women and children.
"A cunning move. Good…," Cooke muttered to Summersby, nodding towards Lord Hanbrook and the militia.
"His lordship is a huntsman, sir," Ben called back, smiling. "He's just using smoke in a diff'rent way here – instead of smoking his prey out."
"There's one on the roof there, sir!" one of the militia shouted to Lord Hanbrook, as he pointed to a nearby shop roof.
Cooke spun round, still aware of the possibility of coming under attack from any angle if he didn't keep his wits about him. He spied the Grotesque in question. It was ripping up tiles from the building, ready to throw them at the humans below.
"Shoot your fire arrows!" Lord Hanbrook yelled at the soldiers.
Two of the militia promptly dipped the arrows of their longbows into the burning haystack and took aim before firing. One of the blazing arrows struck the Grotesque in the chest. It screamed, lost balance and tumbled forwards down the roof – to crash onto the street below. It tried to roll and put out the flames now consuming it, but it was soon finished off by another flaming arrow – this time fired from the crossbow held by Lord Hanbrook himself.
"Inspector! Sir – behind you!" Ben hollered in panic.
Cooke turned round, and froze in shock. With eyes blazing like white stars, three statues were climbing out of the trench that lay close to the barrier that cut off the road to the windmill. Two of them looked like farm workers – one man and one milkmaid. The other… Oh, lord – thought Cooke. The third statue was of a smallish man, dressed in a military-style tunic and pants – and had the impression of a scar running across his left eye…
The Living Statues sighted the Inspector and Ben – then turned slightly and steadily advanced towards them, their bodies making the noises of smoothly grinding rocks. Mouths parted into leering grins. The arms were raised. The hands opened, ready to clamp onto the necks and throats of their chosen victims. To throttle the lives out of Cooke and Ben.
The first pair reached a man-made barrier of emptied barrels taken from the tavern, and used their strength to smash down the casings.
"Take them down!" Cooke urged his ally. As Ben opened fire with his rifle, the Inspector's pistol spat also. Unfortunately, the silver shot Isabella and Anne Marie had shared between the three of them was no better at stopping the Living Statues than ordinary bullets – and Cooke, realizing that that ammunition was best reserved for the Feral Kin and the werewolf leading them, quickly changed to a second pistol upon his person. As he did so, the closest of the statues – that of the farm worker - finally lost its head from the well-placed shot to its neck from Ben.
"They're too resilient to our bullets, sir," Ben panted, as his rifle 'clicked' on an empty cartridge. He crouched down and fished around for more ammunition.
"I know, dammit!" Cooke shouted in response as they reached the cover of the overturned cart close by. From there, the Inspector raised his second pistol at the advancing statue of the milkmaid and fired. The statue twisted as he did so, avoiding major damage – but instead took a bullet as it climbed the remains of a broken barrel. It lost the forearm it had rested its weight upon, and lost its balance. As the stone milkmaid slowly rose upon its remaining arm, Cooke drew in closer with his weapon and fired at its neck. The 'boom' saw cracks widening from the hit. The statue gave a silent scream of rage. Then its expression froze, the gleam in its eyes died away – and it slipped sideways. It crumbled into pieces upon the street cobbles as it crashed down.
Cooke panted and gazed around. His eyes met Ben's – then…
"I'm out o' bullets, sir! Err… Where's the last one got to…?" the younger man asked.
"Watch o-!" But Cooke was too late. A stony arm shot through the space around the axle of the upturned cart. It snaked around Ben's neck and pulled him backwards, making him drop his spent rifle.
"Urrhh!" the young man cried out as he tried to ram his elbows into his ambusher.
"Hold on!" Cooke yelled. He grabbed the rifle and leapt to the side of the smirking statue. "Thomas Harrow! Is that still you? Stop this madness!"
The Thomas-statue turned to face Cooke with its scared eye, but did not relent in its attack upon Ben. Its other hand was about to grab hold of the militia soldier's face – possibly to twist his head as it held firmly onto his throat.
A voice sounded in Cooke's head, making him shudder with horror at the implications…
Quit lookin' at my damn eye!
Cooke screamed and bashed the head of the Thomas-statue with the butt of the rifle. It eventually fell down, letting go of Ben – but now the rifle was twisted and useless. Then, as the Thomas-statue began to crawl over to the slumped, wheezing Ben, Cooke desperately searched for another weapon.
He spotted one at hand.
Quickly snatching the head of the decapitated farm worker statue with both hands, Cooke gave a battle-roar and bashed the stone head onto the 'hairline' of the Thomas-statue as it tried to seize Ben again. The grayed face of the courier turned round after the first bashing, and stared at Cooke with horror.
"Let…" Bash. "…go…" Bash. "…of him!" BASH!
Eventually, Cooke slumped onto his knees. The cracked head of the farm worker statue slipped from his fingers and hit the ground, joining that of the shattered head fragments of what had once been Thomas Harrow. Footsteps rushed up to gather around Cooke.
"Easy now, Inspector," Lord Hanbrook urged him. "My men will watch over you."
"B-Ben?" he gasped.
"He'll recover. You've saved his life. Good work, sir…!"
He was interrupted by a chorus of screams – the screams of women and children. Cooke whipped his head around, to see four of the Feral Kin bounding out of a nearby alleyway. Immediately, Isabella was issuing orders to her handmaiden – and the two women began firing at the predators, making them back off. Then the noblewoman began chasing after them. Her hunting rifle barked – and one of the creatures collapsed.
Lord Hanbrook took two of his men and ran over to Isabella. "Madam von Took! Let me and my men deal with those fie-"
"No, your lordship. I think not! Heidi and I have the situation under control – and I would hate misfortune to strike the husband of my dear friend!" she retorted. "Escort the women and children into the church for us!" And without waiting for his agreement, Isabella led the compliant Heidi after the retreating Feral Kin.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Lord Hanbrook instead turned his attention to containing and calming the ladies and their sons and daughters…
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
The Church:
The secret door in the crypt was broken down with ease by the Feral Kin when they charged at it. As the five werewolf-type creatures bounded into the crypt, Victor jumped and huddled behind the nearest tomb. The startled Living Statue that had been - or was still - Ross turned its attention away from the prisoner and bared its stone teeth at the intruders instead. Attacked by the Feral Kin, the statue punched one of them – and he staggered back, winded. Immediately, two more of the Feral Kin raced forward to claw at the Ross-statue from different angles.
The last pair of the Feral Kin was apparently guarding a thin cat. A cat that was now turning his attention towards Victor. He hissed – and the Feral Kin strode forward to seize the playwright.
Oh no…! Mother of mercy…
Victor scrambled onto his knees in the dim light of the crypt. Aided by the rush of adrenaline, he snatched up his ax that he had been looking for – and swiped the air with the blade, making the approaching Feral Kin hesitate. Seeing the Living Statue now being knocked over by the two beast-people tackling it, Victor turned and raced out of the crypt. He took the steps two at a time, still holding the ax in one hand – and it was only when he emerged into the private chapel that he considered himself fortunate not to have fallen down in his climb…
He slammed the secret door to behind him, and barged out of the chapel and into the church nave. Immediately, there were screams as the women and children present were startled by the sudden appearance of a large, sweat-drenched man with a terrified expression and an ax in his clenched hands.
"Bother!" he panted. "What's going on? Why are you all here!?" he yelled.
Lord Hanbrook hurried over to the front of the swarming mass of panicking women and children. He waved a hand at the crowd behind her – whilst his two escort soldiers helped to contain them.
"Be calm!" he yelled out. "It is only Mr Danforth… He will not harm you!" Lord Hanbrook frowned at him. "It is not good form to wield a weapon in church, sir!"
"Do you think I am doing this for amusement, your lordship!?" he bellowed in exasperation. "We need to get out of this church, before…"
"But we came here for sanctuary!" one of the women retorted. "God and the good Reverend Harding will provide for our safety…"
"No! Ze Reverend Harding is in league with one of this town's enemies!" Anne Marie declared at the top of her voice as she sprinted through the front door. Ignoring the loud protestations to her accusation, the schoolteacher skidded to a halt against one of the pews upon seeing Victor. She sighed with relief. "Victor! You are well…? You fought your way past ze Living Statue of Ross!?"
"No! The Feral Kin have broken into the crypt from that underground passage and overcome the statue!" Victor gibbered. "I've shut that secret door to behind me, but…"
He was interrupted by a loud 'bang'. It was followed seconds later, by another. Victor, Lord Hanbrook, and some of the women hurried into the chapel – to see the secret door cracking open. Through the gaps, movement could be seen. A Feral Kin sniffed the air and growled in anticipation of the feast to come…
Then two more people ran over to them. Victor glanced round, to see the still-masked Scarlet Shadow and the blonde-haired midwife of Shadowbrook, Sophie O'Hare. She looked drained – but her expression sharpened upon realizing the danger before them.
"Everyone – get back! Take cover!" she yelled.
The secret door suddenly exploded outwards in a swirl of debris and dust. The leading Feral Kin raced out, heading straight for Sophie as it snarled a promise of death…
"No – you fiend! I think not!" With a dash of bravery that surprised him, Victor stepped forward and raised his ax into the air upon impulse, swinging it back. Then he threw it forward with his might towards the suddenly-frozen beast as it saw the danger.
Providence was with Victor. The blade dug deep into the male Feral Kin. The wolf man howled as it was struck and thrown back into the altar table, which promptly broke and collapsed. The lit candles fell down and a small fire began to burn in the spilled pool of wax, next to the dying fiend. But the remaining pair of Feral Kin was trying to emerge into the chapel. Smelling the flames, they howled and hesitated.
"Stand aside! I need a clear shot…!" the Scarlet Shadow protested as he tried to push through the yelling women and children
Another woman screamed. But it was a scream of rage – and it seemed to come from the very air in the private chapel.
"No one is safe! I will take you all! You too, Sophie O'Hare! I will use my magic to possess my female disciple here, and force her onwards…"
"Heavens preserve us! I know that voice. 'Tis her – the Shadow Witch!" one of the mothers cried out, aghast. She grabbed her two little children, and ran straight for the front door. Several others of the townswomen followed her with their youngsters. Then the leader halted at the church door and gasped. "Those flying devils are in the air, outside!" she screamed.
"Where do we go!?" another mother sobbed fearfully. The children were now crying too.
Sophie wished that she could help them right then. But she was halted in her tracks by the sight of the green, glowing vision of a floating, hooded lady - which became visible as it drifted out of the secret doorway. Then it disappeared into the furred form of the female Feral Kin. The creature growled in pain, as her body twisted – and then straightened upright. Victor, Anne Marie, the Scarlet Shadow, and Sophie watched in amazement as the Feral Kin's form developed a sleeker, more powerful frame. The open jaws drooled with saliva as the fangs turned sharper. The poise and posture of the possessed Feral Kin was now more confident…
"No…!" Lord Hanbrook gulped with fear. His double chin quivered. "She'll kill us all…"
"Elaine…! She's too powerful!" Sophie whispered, just loud enough for the heroes around her to hear. "She's turning her minion into a fully-fledged werewolf!"
"Somebody – get the women and children to safety!" the Scarlet Shadow hollered. With the way now clear, thanks to the fleeing of the townswomen, he leveled his two pistols at the new werewolf, who promptly clenched her fists, roared into the air, and then bounded into the air as she leapt at the outlaw leader. Meanwhile, Lord Hanbrook and Sophie urged as many of the crowd as possible to run towards the church altar.
Disregarding the fact that she was in church, Anne Marie fired her gun – directly hitting a Feral Kin in the chest. It screamed as it collapsed and fell down dead. The remaining pair of Feral Kin ducked back into the secret passageway, avoiding the next shot from Anne Marie's quickly reloaded pistol. But she hesitated in helping the Scarlet Shadow – he and the female werewolf were now fighting at close-quarters, his pistols now evidently spent, Darcius Redfern had drawn a dagger from his robes and was using it to keep the werewolf at bay, as the pair made their dance of death around the collapsed altar table and pews, with the wax on the floor still smoldering…
Both of the fighters now had slash marks in several places.
Moments later, the werewolf dived upon the Scarlet Shadow, slamming him into a pew and biting him on the shoulder. Then the female lupine howled in agony as Redfern's blade pierced her heart – and she shuddered, before falling still, still pinning her opponent beneath her. A green glow rose from the werewolf…
Then Anne Marie was distracted by the two remaining Feral Kin poking their heads from the doorway leading to the crypt.
She raised her pistol and aimed again. Her hasty shot was too low, and only struck one of the beasts in the knee, making it collapse. But then the gun 'clicked' on an empty cartridge.
"Mon dieu…!" she whispered in horror. One of the Feral Kin stepped out from the doorway and raced past her – sighting other game. The injured one however, grinned at her, licking its fangs as it rose up and slowly limped towards her. In the background, the women and children were making too much noise for her to think clearly.
"Lord Hanbrook?" Anne Marie looked round – but his lordship had retreated to the altar with his two soldiers, along with the women and children. Hanbrook had gathered his wits, and was snapping orders to his guards. The three men were coordinating themselves, taking it in turns to fire and reload their guns. Then one of the stained-glass windows shattered, and one of the Grotesques landed on the nearby floor, shaking its wings free of glass shards. It was welcomed by the screaming of the women and children it had just trapped in the east end of the church…
As for Victor – she was just in time to see him fleeing up the stairs of the bell tower. Sophie was on his heels, as the other Feral Kin chased after her...
The Scarlet Shadow remained motionless underneath his slain opponent, evidently out for the count, amidst the wreckage of the chapel pews. The green glow had disappeared.
Holding her now-empty pistol with a shaking hand, a dumbstruck Anne Marie slowly backed away into the main church as the Feral Kin forced itself onwards towards her – holding her attention as her heart pounded furiously with terror.
In the background, Lord Hanbrook's pistol spat fire at the Grotesque in the nave, somewhere to Anne Marie's left…
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
Victor huffed, puffed, and gasped as he finally reached the top of the stone staircase, finding himself in the bell tower. As he leaned against the wooden support rail that ran around the bells and the shaft below, to recover his breath, two things occurred to him.
One, that his fear and adrenalin had made him race blindly up the stairs at a faster rate than he had thought possible for one of his bulk. Two, that someone was hurrying up the stone steps even quicker than him.
He turned to fearfully face his pursuer – all too aware that he was now unarmed. But instead he saw the flushed face of the attractive, blonde-haired midwife, Sophie.
"Why…," she huffed. "…did you race up here?"
"My nerves…failed me! I came here…to get away from those beasts!" Victor answered her.
"That's…unfortunate." Sophie pulled herself up upon the stone landing that surrounded the church bells. "Hopefully, I've lured one of the Feral Kin after me."
"What!?"
"Do not panic, Mr Danforth. I have a pl- Get back!"
She pushed Victor away from the nearest open gap of the bell tower. An instant later, a Grotesque crashed into the southern side of the structure, making the tower quake and shake. The winged terror screeched and started tearing at the stonework with a taloned hand, breaking out chunks below the archway and making the gap larger in the process. In a few more moments, it would be able to pull itself through and step into the bell tower to attack the two humans…
Ducking down, Sophie quickly grabbed two of the stones which had rolled towards them. Then she passed one to the startled Victor.
"Perfect! Time to work together, Mr Danforth!" she cried out.
"P-p-perfect!?" Victor stuttered.
The midwife grinned. Hearing the bulky Feral Kin now reach the final turn of the staircase below them, she turned and threw her large chunk of masonry at the wolf man's head. The missile neatly hit the creature's face and caused him to lose his balance. With a yowl, the Feral Kin tumbled down the winding stairs.
"Good shot, Miss!" Victor exclaimed.
"Thank you. Now, let's deal with the Grotesque together!" Sophie beamed.
And so they got to work, with Victor throwing first, before diving to the stone floor to retrieve another chunk of broken stone. Acting as a team, they prevented the winged fiend from squeezing through its created breach in the church tower archway. Eventually, Victor and Sophie sent the Grotesque retreating into the night air and it flew off, flapping its bat-like wings as it screeched its frustration and fury.
"Th-thank you, Miss O'Hare," Victor wheezed as he took out his stained handkerchief and wiped at his moist face. "I could not have coped without your help."
"Thank you for saving my life downstairs." Sophie smiled as she helped him to his feet. "Actually… You have an interesting aura, Mr Danforth. It is full of creative potential. Essentially, I believe that you make events happen by just being present. It will just take a little concentration from you, to harness that ability and control it to some degree."
Victor frowned at her. "I don't understand… My aura? You are versed in matters arca-?"
He was interrupted by the howling of the Feral Kin that Sophie had attacked earlier.
"No! The fiend has survived! What do we d-?"
"Get back! And hold your nerves steady." Sophie forced Victor to move with her as she pushed him into the next corner of the walkway that ran around the bells. Then the midwife spun round and Victor saw her pulling out an amulet from a pocket of her green dress. The amulet glowed as she muttered some words in a language that Victor, despite his learnings, had not heard before…
The Feral Kin reached the top of the staircase and growled menacingly at its chosen prey. A long, wet tongue licked the exposed fangs with anticipation at the meal to come. It loped onwards to where the broken archway was and turned the corner to face Victor and Sophie.
With a yell, Sophie opened up her other hand and directed her palm at the Feral Kin.
Before Victor's shocked gaze, a barely-visible 'pulse' of air shot out from the amulet in the midwife's palm and slammed into the wolf man in mid-step. With a look of first bewilderment – then horror – the Feral Kin was violently pushed back by the release of magik, right into the shattered archway, where it slipped through the jagged gap.
The minion of the Werewolf howled its despair. Seconds later, there was a loud 'thud' outside.
Victor and Sophie hurried over to the archway together and peered down at the pathway running alongside the church. Lit only from the hanging lantern affixed to the corner of the church tower, the sprawled body of the now-deceased Feral Kin was becoming surrounded by a slowly-growing pool of blood…
Victor turned to take in Sophie's grinning face with wonder.
"Can you keep a secret, Mr Danforth?" she asked him.
"You are a witch…," he muttered.
"Correct. And with my magik, I enhanced the barrier of alcohol-fuelled flames that you helped to set up around the town. But the process of maintaining the cordon is wearing – I needed to recharge my energies, and so I left my station, only to find myself helping out here…"
"Then the cordon is down!?"
"Fear not. My apprentice came in response to my mental summons to her – and even now, she is continuing the magical defense of Shadowbrook… No. I will not name who she is…" Sophie frowned and turned to look down the shaft where the ropes to the church bells hung.
Victor followed her gaze and spied a young boy huddled on the church floor. The child's sobs reached him from below.
"Quick. Help me up!" Sophie drew out a sharp knife from a pocket sewn into her dress and, with assistance from the puzzled Victor, climbed onto the low wall surrounding the church bells. With her companion holding her steady and preventing her fall into the shaft, Sophie began cutting the rope holding the largest bell in place. Now Victor really looked bewildered.
"What are you doing!?" he breathed. "You will kill that boy!"
"I'm trying to save him! I just had a premonition of what is about to happen. Please help me, Mr Danforth! This bell needs to fall. Wait… Perhaps…, if you could climb onto the bell…"
"What!?"
"In the name of God, please do it!" And with that Sophie tugged on his arm, urging him up.
Seeing the frayed rope, Victor swallowed hard. But he saw the desperation in the midwife's eyes. So, taking a deep breath, he helped Sophie back down before climbing onto the short wall surrounding the bells. He looked down the shaft again and gasped out, seeing Anne Marie rushing over to pick up the crying lad. Her hairpins had gone and now her straight dark-brown locks were hanging over her shoulders. She looked scared. In the next moment, the reason why became evident, as a Feral Kin, gore dripping from its blood-soaked muzzle, slowly stepped towards its trapped prey, relishing the scent of fear they were emitting.
His heart fluttering, Victor shouted down to her. "Anne Marie – move aside!"
The schoolmistress shot her face up at him and her eyes widened. Her surprise turned into shock when Victor leapt onto the bell, locking his legs around it.
The frayed rope sagged from the added weight. Then it snapped.
Victor screamed as he plummeted, holding tightly onto both sides of the man-sized bell with his arms. The shaft of the bell tower sped past his head, and his hair and short beard were ruffled as he prayed that the bell would remain upright…
He was in luck. There was not enough room in the tower shaft for the bell to overturn underneath his weight until just before reaching the floor of the church. Moments later, the side of the bell slammed into the Feral Kin that had just looked up at the brass missile descending upon it. Victor managed to roll off the topside of the landed bell, temporarily deafened by the loud, ringing impact – and he collided into the side of the nearest pew, which arrested his motion. Moments later, when the bell had finally fallen silent and the world had stopped spinning round, Victor found himself watching the crying boy being hugged by Anne Marie. Then he spied the nearby sprawled body of one of the townswomen. Another, younger lady was rising from the body – tears and anguish on her face. But her expression brightened a little upon seeing that the boy was safe.
"Mommy!" the child wailed.
"Oh, William… It is too late! Your mother's soul is now with God and the angels… Come here to your aunt!" The young woman took him from Anne Marie, and fixed both her and Victor with a faint smile. "Thank you… Both of you."
"We are sorry for your loss," Anne Marie responded solemnly. Then she turned, hurried over to Victor and hugged him. "Bien joué!"
"Aagghh! Ouch! My bruises." Victor winced. He hesitated before speaking again. "Are… Are we safe now?"
"Oui! Lord Hanbrook and his men have shot dead ze Grotesque that frightened that boy and sent him running. His mother chased after him, and…well. You have seen ze result. But…mon dieu! Your daring and timing were incredible, Victor! When you ran upstairs, I thought you were a coward…"
"Um… I still am, Anne Marie," he confessed, groaning as he tried to move.
With Anne Marie's assistance, he was able to see that the Feral Kin that had threatened the schoolmistress and William had been crushed underneath the now-cracked bell. Further along the nave of the church, Victor could see Lord Hanbrook and his two soldiers trying to calm everyone down and assess who needed assisting first, now that the immediate crises had abated.
"Miss O'Hare encouraged me to take the plunge," Victor said to Anne Marie. "I guess she thought it was time for me…to, um, throw my weight around - you might say." He smiled.
Anne Marie laughed in relief and joy. She bent down and kissed her rescuer on the lips, startling him. But then he relaxed and returned her embrace – kissing her back with as much passion.
Moments later, Katarina and Magistrate Kroft barged into the church. Seeing her lover unconscious, the female outlaw gave a wailing cry of "Darcius!". She rushed over to help pull the Scarlet Shadow from the corpse of the female werewolf slumped on top of him…
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
The Blacksmiths:
Isabella von Took was now starting to regret her impulsiveness in going after the remaining three Feral Kin.
She and the loyal Heidi had managed to use their guns to back the creatures into a dead-end alley – just as their weapons had spent their last bullets, hitting and killing another of the furred minions. Now the last pair of Feral Kin, realizing that their hunters had stopped to reload, turned upon the women – snarling their desire for revenge and the fresh opportunity to feast…
Isabella gave up on her attempt to reload the hunting rifle. Instead, she threw it at the nearest of the lupine brutes, making it stop its charge towards her, as it ducked. With that avoidance from injury, Isabella grabbed Heidi's hand as she turned and ran out of the alley – her eyes wide with fear as they darted around to search for a place of safety…
"Quick! Up here, Heidi!" Isabella ordered her handmaiden, as she ran over to the barrels that were stacked alongside the side wall of the blacksmith's house.
"Milady…, I have managed to load our last bullet in vis pistol!" Heidi declared as she handed the weapon over to her mistress.
"One bullet only? That is not enough! Now – follow me up. Haast! Hurry!" Isabella barked as she pocketed the gun, all too aware that she had lost her dignified composure in the fighting. The remaining Feral Kin were howling as they raced towards the two women, determined to sink their fangs into warm, fear-scented meat…
Using her long limbs, Isabella managed to climb onto the sloped roof of the blacksmith's. Then the shorter, and stouter, Heidi clambered onto the barrels and tried to pull herself up by…
"Heidi! You are pulling on my dress!" Isabella screamed as she slipped and dug her left hand into a broken roof tile to stop her descent. Her beloved black dress was beginning to tear at the hem, as her servant's weight yanked at it.
"Mistress – please help me up! I-yaagghh!" Heidi screamed.
Twisting herself round on the side of the angled roof, Isabella swore at the sight below her. Heidi was hanging onto her dress, whilst dangling below. The barrels had been kicked aside by the handmaiden's legs – and now a Feral Kin had leapt upon her, wrapping its furred arms around Heidi's knees.
Isabella realized that in a matter of moments both her and Heidi would be yanked down onto the street by the chain of bodies pulling on each other. Terror seized her. She spied the second Feral Kin, illuminated by the nearby street lantern, licking its fangs in anticipation…
Choices to be made…, the thought flashed through the noblewoman's mind, as she panicked.
Moge God vergeef me...
She quickly made her decision. When she spoke, Isabella's voice came out as detached.
"Thank you…for your services, Heidi… I relieve you…of your duty."
"Mistress!?"
"I'm…I am sorry." And with that said, Isabella's right hand pulled out the pistol Heidi had just passed over to her. She would make the last bullet count…
"Nein! Frau - hilf mir!" The eyes in Heidi's round face pleaded with her, as she screamed out her desperation, in her native tongue.
Isabella shut her own eyes tight, and fired.
Heidi jerked from the impact as the bullet struck her forehead. Her grip on her mistress's dress slackened – and she dropped to the ground, taking the Feral Kin holding onto her down too.
Isabella twisted back and pressed her face to the roof tiles as she held on for her precious life, sobbing as she heard the two monsters tearing into the young fresh body of Heidi…